DH wants to upgrade to Deluxe DDP. Can we get our money's worth?

[lemondog]

Holy crikey!!!! My DH, who never took a family vacation in his life and is having heart palpitations and asthma attacks over the cost for our Disney trip next summer, has said he is interested in the Deluxe DDP! He loves all-inclusive vacations and likes the idea of having all meals covered. I told him tip and alcohol were not included, he didn't seem to care! This trip is already a serious financial commitment for us -- staying at the Poly 7 nights, add in Deluxe DDP and you can only imagine the cost. We can afford it, but of course with 3 kids, including 1 in private school, I can also think of several other uses for the money.

We are looking at $200/day for food for me, DH and the 3 kids. We have NO problems doing all sit-downs for our meals, but is that what it takes to get your money's worth? We were just planning on doing most breakfasts in the room, then 1 CS and 1 TS each day on the regular DDP.

 

[septbaby]

You'll be paying about twice as much as with the standard plan. I'd find out what it is he really wants out of he deluxe plan that he doesn't think the standard plan can offer. He might be thinking room service. With three small ones I can see the appeal of that a couple of times on the trip. If it great meal choices pre paid, another option might be to buy Disney dollars before the trip and use them during your stay. That way things are still prepaid, but the dollars aren't necessarily in the meal bucket if that's not where you need them.

Sounds like he wants his family to have an awesome vacation. I'd give him big points for that.

 

[Forevryoung]

That's why I don't want to tell DBF about the plan in the first place. He sounds like your husband-

This is the first trip he has ever planned this far in advance (Jan 2008) and wants to go without thinking about money (another first for him).

I'm going to put all of our cash on a prepaid visa so that we don't think about how much we are spending.

In a 4 night trip we have 2 breakfast ADRs, 1 lunch ADR, and 2 dinner ADRs. We were going to go to citywalk one night for dinner but that might change which would give us 3 dinners instead of 2. And with $50 factored in for snacks (ice cream and water every day for the two of us), we would break about even eating CS the rest of the time. So I don't know what to do either

 

[septbaby]

... wants to go without thinking about money (another first for him).

In a 4 night trip we have 2 breakfast ADRs, 1 lunch ADR, and 2 dinner ADRs. We were going to go to citywalk one night for dinner but that might change which would give us 3 dinners instead of 2.

Well, the w/o thinking about money sounds like DDP for sure. Also the fact that you plan to eat TS meals, leans toward the plan. Assuming all of yor restaurants are on the plan add up your expected expense from the menus and add in 6.5% tax. Compare that to what you'd spend on the plan(including any meals you'd pay OOP). Your tip expense is essenially the same w/ or w/o the plan so I don't bother including that.

For example for one adult on a 5 night trip: DDP costs $190, $210 w/OOP meal
Narcoossee's (D-2TS)
Coral Reef (L)
Chef Mickey's (B) [OOP]
Boma (D)
H&V (Fantasmic D)

Without plan: $73+31+20+28+26 = $178, add $65 for CS/Snack = $243

This assumes lobster at Narcoossee's, w/o lobster $215. Note with the DDP I wouldn't even have to think about not ordering lobster to save money! We are on the DDP.

Assuming all of your ADRs are 1TS, then your plan is a lot like ours, pay OOP for one meal. You could also decide if you want to keep all of those ADRs or switch one meal to CS to save that expense altogther (or pay for the 3rd dinner or the Universal dinner).

Good luck deciding and managing!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

We are looking at $200/day for food for me, DH and the 3 kids. We have NO problems doing all sit-downs for our meals, but is that what it takes to get your money's worth? We were just planning on doing most breakfasts in the room, then 1 CS and 1 TS each day on the regular DDP.

Actually, if you do a character breakfast (and there is one in each hotel near you - poly, GF and CR) and a sit down dinner, you can have a counter service lunch and still come out even.

Example:

Ohana Breakfast: $18.99

Lunch - Peco's Bill's
Chicken Wrap - served chilled with seasoned chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese tossed with Pecos house dressing, served with your choice of fries or carrots $7.59
Strawberry Yogurt $1.99
Bottled Water $2.00

Dinner - Kona

Sticky Wings - crispy wings in a garlic glaze with a tangy mustard drizzle and toasted sesame seeds $7.99

Macadamia Mahi Mahi - served with mushroom rice, sauteed bok choy, lime-butter sauce and crispy fried onions $19.99

White Chocolate Cheesecake - cheesecake with a perfect hint of white chocolate topped with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and a brandy snap$5.99

Snack 1 - bottle of water $2.00
Snack 2 - Mickey bar $2.50

Total for the day: 69.04 + 6.5% tax = $73

And this is hardly "maxing" out the plan.

and for the kids:

Ohana's breakfast: $10.99
Peco's Bill's lunch: Garden Salad with Chicken $3.99
Chocolate Pudding $1.19
Kona dinner: Grilled Fish of the Day served with whole-grain pilaf, veggies, and yogurt parfait $7.49
Snack 1 - bottle of water $2.00
Snack 2 - Mickey bar $2.50

total for the day: $28.26 + 6.5% tax = $29

 

[dreamn_Disney]

My main concern would actually be the time involved rather then the "can we get our moneys worth". You can get your moneys worth by eating expensive at all sit down restaurants. However do you want to tie up all the time it will take to do this?

 

[Angela Kay]

My main concern would actually be the time involved rather then the "can we get our moneys worth". You can get your moneys worth by eating expensive at all sit down restaurants. However do you want to tie up all the time it will take to do this?

That's my concern, too. I see the ages of your children and I bet they're going to want to stay in the parks as much as they can. The Delux DP is going to take a big chunck out of your day.

 

[honeymo78]

Not everyone wants to run around the parks commando. You can still get everything done even with taking time for 2-3 TS meals a day (and as PrincessTrisha posted, 2 TS meals and 1 CS more than covers the cost of the package). Instead of waiting in line to see characters, you'll be able to dine at character meals. Generally in less than an hour you'll have your meal and get 4-5 different character pictures and autographs. Sitting down to lunch is a great mid-day break for kids and parents alike, or just opt for a quick CS lunch if you don't want to miss too much park time. And in my mind, nothing beats a nice sit down dinner at the end of a day in the parks - I love to just sit back and relax while someone else brings me my dinner.

 

[libinatorsmom]

We are taking our 1st trip in May 08 - we have opted for the Dulx Dinning plan and that is what we booked... we are excited about it... because now we can eat at all the places we wanted and have to not worry about the costs etc... its all included (except the tip - which I actually like so we can deicde what we feel is fair)

We too are doing this dinsey tip all OUT!!!! 8nights 9 days at BC in May with Dulx dining... we are really looking forward to it!!!

 

[thunderbird1]

That's my concern, too. I see the ages of your children and I bet they're going to want to stay in the parks as much as they can. The Delux DP is going to take a big chunck out of your day.

I see it a little differently. I think older kids (10+) would be more likely to balk at all the TS meals. Younger kids, like yours, would LOVE all the character meals. That's how I'd do the DXDDP with young kids--a character breakfast (or lunch) every day, then either a 2 TS signature/dinner show dinner, or a CS lunch (or breakfast) and a regular 1 TS dinner every night.

I also think it would be well worth the extra $$$ with young kids; not so much with the aforementioned 10+ kids who would be ridiculously expensive, not to mention wouldn't care as much about the character meals and would rather ride the rides and eat pizza than sit through 2 long meals a day. (That's a total generalization--if your older kids enjoy the fancy meals, please don't take offense.)

 

[lemondog]

DH is not a huge theme park kind of guy. Add in the crowds and the July heat, and well...this will be a rather leisurely trip to WDW compared to what most people are used to, lol! Besides, I know my kids and there is no way they could do commando. We want to spend plenty of time at the resort, swimming, hanging out, etc. so that DH has a remotely good time.

Thanks for all your input! I did some comparison research and I figured out we can definitely get our money's worth, I am just wondering if we can physically handle all that food!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Just remember - at buffets It's all you CARE to eat (not all you can physically eat) and you'll probably be fine.

 

[Pumbaa_]

July is HOT! Good that you are considering the heat. ANd with little ones, they won't have a clue if you are not spending all day in the parks or not. And once they get in the pool, they may not even want to go see that darn mouse

Love your husbands attitude. And it looks like you are doing the right thing by comparing what the prices are and what you plan on doing.

And let's not forget the sanck credits. 2 per day per person. That is 10 snack credits a day. Hit the resort gift store and stock up on bagged snacks! There are character cookies that are included. Bring a pile of those homes and the kids can remember the trip every time they have a snack.

Plus the refillable mugs. You were probably buying those anyway.

Mark your calendar for 180 days out and make your ADR's so you can eat at all the wonderful places you have planned. Sounds like a great vacation!

 

[Colleen27]

Holy crikey!!!! My DH, who never took a family vacation in his life and is having heart palpitations and asthma attacks over the cost for our Disney trip next summer, has said he is interested in the Deluxe DDP! He loves all-inclusive vacations and likes the idea of having all meals covered. I told him tip and alcohol were not included, he didn't seem to care! This trip is already a serious financial commitment for us -- staying at the Poly 7 nights, add in Deluxe DDP and you can only imagine the cost. We can afford it, but of course with 3 kids, including 1 in private school, I can also think of several other uses for the money.

We are looking at $200/day for food for me, DH and the 3 kids. We have NO problems doing all sit-downs for our meals, but is that what it takes to get your money's worth? We were just planning on doing most breakfasts in the room, then 1 CS and 1 TS each day on the regular DDP.

We aren't doing all sit downs, but most of our meals are sitdowns and we're eating at a lot of signature restaurants (California Grill, Narcoosees, Artist Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Cinderella's Royal Table). We only have a couple days where we have more than 2 meals planned, but a character breakfast/lunch or must-do TS (Sci-fi, Teppan Edo) lunch and a signature dinner counts as 3 meals for the sake of the plan.

We're going for a longer trip, though, so time isn't an issue for us. We'll be there 11 nights, and our arrival and departure days are almost full days because we fly in early and leave late. So we have lots of time to enjoy the parks without feeling like all the sitdown meals are taking too much time away from the parks.

 

[Colleen27]

Instead of waiting in line to see characters, you'll be able to dine at character meals. Generally in less than an hour you'll have your meal and get 4-5 different character pictures and autographs.

That's one of the things I'm most excited about on our January deluxe trip - no (or fewer, at least) character lines! Pooh & the gang at Crystal Palace, Mickey & friends at Chef Mickey and Tusker House, the Princesses at Akershus and Cinderella's Royal Table, Lilo & Stitch at Ohana.... We might be able to get through the trip without a single hour-long wait at a character greeting spot!